What is metabolic syndrome?

St. Joseph’s/Candler primary care physician explains this common disorder

Metabolic syndrome is a very common condition in the United States – more than 3 million new diagnosis a year – but it may not be one you are familiar with.

You are most likely aware of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Have all three? That’s one definition of metabolic syndrome and puts you at a much higher risk of one day having heart disease or a stroke.

Metabolic syndrome is when you are diagnosed with three or more health problems that put you at higher risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke. It also is known as insulin resistance syndrome.

“Metabolic syndrome is quite common,” says Dr. Eugene Nwosu, internal medicine physician at St. Joseph’s/Candler Primary Care on Eisenhower. “There are five things you look at, and if you meet three of those five criteria, you have metabolic syndrome.”

Those five criteria are:

• High fasting blood glucose. You don’t have to have a diabetes diagnosis, but are in the pre-diabetes range, Dr. Nwosu says. Ideally, you want your fasting glucose to be less than 100 mg/dL and a hemoglobin A1C less than 5.7 percent.
• High blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is a top number of less than 120 and a bottom number of less than 80. High blood pressure is strongly tied to obesity and is often found in people with insulin resistance.
• Low HDL (good) cholesterol. This means a level of less than 40 mg/dL for men and less than 50 mg/dL for women.
• High triglyceride level. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood stream. You want a level of more than 150 mg/dL before treatment.
• Abdominal obesity. This means having a waist size of more than 35 inches for women and more than 40 inches for men. A larger waist size is most strongly tied to metabolic syndrome.

“Metabolic syndrome is not just people that are obese,” Dr. Nwosu says. “You might be lean and have metabolic syndrome if you have any of the other conditions.”

Who’s at higher risk?

Knowing your risk factors for any disease can help guide you to take helpful actions. This includes changing habits and being checked regularly by your healthcare provider for these conditions.

Risk factors most closely tied to metabolic syndrome include:

• Older age
• Being African American or Mexican American
• Being African American and female
• A body mass index higher than 25
• Diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes)
• Having a family member with type 2 diabetes
• Smoking
• History of heavy drinking
• Stress
• Being past menopause
• High-fat diet
• Inactive lifestyle

What can I do to try to prevent it?

The best way to prevent metabolic syndrome is to:

• Keep a healthy weight
• Eat a healthy diet
• Be physically active
• Don’t smoke

Your diet should be low in:

• Salt
• Sugar
• Solid fats
• Refined grains

“As much as possible, shop for fewer boxed items on the shelves, which are filled with preservatives, and in the frozen section, which contains many high-sodium meals,” Dr. Nwosu advises. “Shop more in the fresh section where the fruits and vegetables are.”

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